SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Second Vice President Keith Turney has received appointments to two groups that will help chart the future of law enforcement in the nation and in the state of Illinois. Turney will serve on the National FOP Legislative Committee and on the Illinois Commission on Police Professionalism. Both appointments are effective immediately.

"Keith is the definition of police professionalism and these two appointments recognize his dedicated and untiring service to the law enforcement community," said Illinois FOP President Chris Southwood. "It's an honor that one of our own will be an integral part of charting the future course of law enforcement in our state and nation."

"I feel honored by these appointments that will allow me to represent the interests of the Illinois FOP on the state and national level," Turney said. "It is vital that the men and women who protect and serve the public in one of the nation's most dangerous and challenging professions have an effective voice at all levels of government."

National FOP President Chuck Canterbury named Turney to the five-member FOP Legislative Committee for 2015 - 2017. The committee monitors and drafts federal legislation concerning all aspects of law enforcement, from working conditions to training to citizen interaction. The members also communicate with federal elected officials about matters that pertain to law enforcement.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Turney to serve on the Illinois Commission on Police Professionalism. The Commission, whose members are not paid, was created by the Police Reform Omnibus Act passed by the Illinois General Assembly this past May. The Commission will review current training, duties, identification, and other matters pertaining to law enforcement officers, and submit a report and recommendations to the General Assembly and Governor by January 31, 2016.

Turney is currently the Second Vice President of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge and has served as a Field Representative for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council for the past five years. Before joining the FOP Labor Council,Turney had a 31-year career with the Joliet Police Department, the fourth largest in the state of Illinois, retiring as a commander.

The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 32,000 active duty and retired police officers - more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.

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Names Rep. Raymond Poe the Director of the Dept. of Agriculture

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has named a new Director of the Department of Agriculture. He has also made an appointment to the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.

Name: Raymond Poe

Position: Director - Illinois Department of Agriculture

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed life-long farmer and Illinois State Representative Raymond Poe the Director of the Department of Agriculture. Poe's experience as a legislator, as a businessman and as a farmer makes him the ideal choice to lead the agency.

Poe has represented the citizens of Central Illinois for the past 20 years as a member of the General Assembly. He's a member of the Agriculture & Conservation; Appropriations-Higher Education; Personnel & Pensions; and Business Occupational Licenses (Republican Spokesperson) committees. He has farmed in Sangamon County his entire life.

In addition to his legislative experience, he served on the Williamsville School Board, where he was president for three years. He is also the former president of the Sangamon County Farm Bureau and the former president of the Lincoln Land Farm Supply.

Poe is a graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology in Chicago. He lives in rural Springfield.

Name: James Mullenix

Position: Commissioner - Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed James Mullenix to the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission. Mullenix brings nearly 35 years of experience as a defense attorney to the commission.

Currently, Mullenix is an attorney at Koehler Mullenix, LLC where he handles criminal defense cases. Prior to his work in private practice, he was an Assistant Public Defender at the Cook County Public Defender's Office. In this role he handled a wide-variety of cases from misdemeanors to capital murder cases.

Mullenix earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from Loyola University. He is a former member of the Peace Corps. He lives in Evanston.

On Friday, November 13, 2015, at 09:00, the Scott County Sheriff's Office will hold a Swearing In Ceremony at the Sheriff's Office on second floor of the Scott County Courthouse.  Due to three sheriff deputy vacancies, Howard Wilson, Daniel Grafton and Eric Poirier have been hired as the newest three deputy sheriffs of Scott County.

Howard Wilson graduated from North Scott High School and attended Upper Iowa University.   Howard has been a Scott County Sheriff's Reserve Deputy, worked as a correctional officer and with the Scott County Sheriff's Office and worked as a police officer for the Dodge City, Kansas Police Department.  Currently Howard works part-time as a police officer for the Cities of Walcott, Buffalo and Eldridge. Howard Wilson is certified as a lead homicide and death investigator, certified in SWAT/close quarter battle as well as a self-defense instructor.

Eric Poirier graduated from North Scott High School in May, 2010, graduated from Scott Community College with an associate's degree in May 2012 and graduated from Western Illinois University in December, 2012 with a business management major and a criminal justice minor.  Eric was employed by Hy-Vee in Davenport as a produce clerk from August 2008 until July 2015, after which he was employed by the 7th Judicial District of Correctional Services for the State of Iowa as a residential officer and most recently was employed as a seasonal park ranger by Scott County Conservation.  Eric has volunteered as a high school basketball coach at North Scott High School since 2010 and enjoys hunting and fishing.

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has appointed an Inspector General of the Illinois Tollway, and made judicial appointments to the Illinois Court of Claims and the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board.

Name: TJ Hengesbach

Position: Inspector General - Illinois Toll Highway

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed TJ Hengesbach as Inspector General of the Illinois Tollway. He has nearly 15 years of experience from the Illinois and City of Chicago's Inspector General offices and has been a practicing attorney since 1991.

Most recently, Hengesbach was the Deputy Inspector General in Chicago's Office of Inspector General. He was part of the team that provided legal support and solutions to all sections of the oversight agency. He also provided legal counsel and policy guidance on internal personnel decisions, and external investigative, audit and compliance activity. He worked for the City of Chicago from October 2005 to April 2015. Prior to this, he was the general counsel for Illinois' Office of Executive Inspector General. In this role he developed investigative protocols and participated in investigations of allegations of fraud, waste and misconduct.

Hengesbach is a Certified Inspector General from the Association of Inspector Generals and a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional from the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics.

Hengesbach earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from Indiana University-Bloomington. He lives in Chicago.

Name: Peter G. Karahalios

Positions: Judge - Illinois Court of Claims

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Peter G. Karahalios to the Illinois Court of Claims. Karahalios brings 40 years of experience as an attorney in both the private and public sectors to the bench.

Currently, Karahalios is the Chief Legal Counsel and Sworn Deputy Treasurer in the Cook County Treasurer's Office. He oversees the compliance of state statutes and county ordinances on real estate tax collection and coordinates litigation with the Cook County State's Attorney and U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He has held this position since 2007. It's a return to the Cook County Treasurer's Office because he previously worked there from 1998-2003 as the Chief of Staff and Sworn Chief Deputy Treasurer. Karahalios has worked in private practice, as well.

Karahalios earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his law degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago-Kent College of Law. He was also a member of the Illinois National Guard from 1970-1976. He lives in South Barrington.

Name: Robert Steffen
Position: Judge - Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Robert Steffen to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. He brings over 23 years of legal experience to the board.

Steffen currently serves as Court of Claims Judge for the State of Illinois. He was appointed to the post in 2004. He is also the owner of Steffen Law, P.C., a law firm in Elgin which he started in 2000.  Prior to his own law firm and time on the bench, Steffen served as an assistant state's attorney in the Kane County State's Attorney's Office. Over the course of his eight years with Kane County, he prosecuted countless crimes and petty offenses.

Steffen earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. He lives in South Barrington.